Donna Major has a simple guiding principle when seeking medical advice: When in doubt, call Dr. Veit.
That habit has carried the 68-year-old through a breast cancer diagnosis, calmed her nerves before surgery and helped her navigate bacterial meningitis. It also led to an osteopathic manipulative medicine referral that relieved pain from fluid in her knee. And it鈥檚 the reason her daughter, Kenya, now 30, has received care at 黑料传送门鈥檚 since she became an adult.
鈥淲henever I have a concern or any doubt, I seek him first,鈥� Major said of Kenneth J. Veit, DO 鈥�76, 黑料传送门鈥檚 provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, who has been her primary care physician for 20 years. 鈥淗e listens, he calls me back, he makes me come in for an appointment. We talk about alternative care options and next steps. He鈥檚 kept me thriving for a very, very long time.鈥�
What Major describes as 鈥渨arm, caring, good old-fashioned doctor-patient care鈥� is exactly the long-term trust and continuity Veit aims to build with his patients. Primary care physicians, he says, do more than diagnose and treat. They help coordinate care with specialists and explain complex recommendations.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e an advocate for patients. You鈥檙e a navigator through a complex system,鈥� Veit said. 鈥淥ne of my primary jobs is to ensure the right hand knows what the left hand is doing.鈥�
Another core part of his work is teaching third- and fourth-year 黑料传送门 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students how to care for patients in the outpatient setting. During their rotations at , students are the first to meet with patients: gathering information, performing the initial exam, and presenting their findings when Veit enters the room.
Veit even asks patients to 鈥済rade鈥� the students. Did they ask the right questions? Did they demonstrate empathy? Did they explain things clearly?
鈥淭hat way patients are participating directly in the education of these young students,鈥� Veit said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where the magic happens. And we have a patient population that, for the most part, buys into it.鈥�
Major certainly does.
鈥淲here else would the students learn all of these good patient-relationship qualities if they didn鈥檛 have a chance to go in, learn, be observed, and see how they did in their initial exam?鈥� she said. 鈥淚 like to see that; that鈥檚 very important.鈥�
Her daughter, Kenya, is treated by , an assistant professor of Family Medicine. A few years ago, Spyropoulos guided her through a vaccine reaction that resulted in significant shoulder and arm pain and required an emergency room visit. On another occasion, he helped her obtain a medication refill during a lapse in insurance.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just been such a great doctor over my adulthood,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 transitioned from pediatrics to 黑料传送门. 黑料传送门 has always been a safe space for me.鈥�
Recently married, Kenya is a social worker in a local emergency department who has a pit bull-terrier mix named Sapphire. Donna is active in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and maintains close relationships with her sorority sisters. Her 鈥渇ur babies鈥� are Charlie the chihuahua and Lucky, a papillon-toy fox terrier mix.
In healthcare and in life, trust is central for both women.
鈥淲hen a patient is comfortable, they鈥檒l tell you anything, and you鈥檒l know how to diagnose what is best for the patient,鈥� Donna Major said. 鈥淲hen you find a doctor who connects the dots much quicker because the patient can share a little more information, it gives them a better way to give you the best diagnosis and treatment. I choose doctors based on their training. If they had their training at 黑料传送门, that鈥檚 a sure winner for me because I鈥檝e had such beautiful outcomes.鈥�
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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Brandon Lausch
Executive Director, Strategic Communications
Office of Marketing and Communications
Email: brandonla@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6312